Frank



(No Model;)

F. A. STEOHER.

TRUGK.

Patented Feb. 11, 1890 UNiTEn [STATES PATENT UTTTCE.

FRANK. A. STEOHER, OF ROCHESTER, NEXY YORK.

TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 421,204, dated February11, 1890., Application filed December 16 1889. $erial No. 333,949. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK. A. STECHER, of the city of Rochester, countyof Monroe, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Trucks; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had totheaecompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved truck forhandling heavy and bulky. bodies, more particularly large lithographicstones, whereby a single operator may with great ease remove heavystones from or insert them in alithographic press or manipulate them inany desired manner 5 and to this end the invention consists in certainnovelties of construction and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described, and the novel features pointed out in the claimsat the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of a truckconstructed in accordance with my invention, showing the parts indifferent positions; Fig. 3, a rear elevation, and Fig. 4 a plan viewpartly in section.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote similarparts.

A represents the main frame of the truck, constructed, preferably, ofrectangular form, having two wheels B at one end, mounted in stationarybearings, and two caster-wheels 0 (Eat the front, so as to permit freemovement in any direction. Upon the upperside of this frame is asupplemental frame D, on the upper portion of which are j ournaledthree, more or less, shafts E, F, and G, the former having anoperating-handle E, a ratchetwheel E and a pinion E the shaft F havingat one end a gear F, meshing with pinion E and at the other a pinion Fmeshing with a gear G on shaft G, said shaft G having also two pinions Gthereon. Mounted in suitable guides in the frame D are (preferably two)rack-bars H, with which the pinions G mesh, carrying at their upper endsa platen J. A pawl E prevents backward movement of ratchet E Krepresents a truck-bod y constructed after the manner of an ordinaryhand-truck, hav- 7 in g the handles K and the plate or flange K at thelower forward. portion, and upon its outer sides three, moreorless,longitudinallyarranged rollers M. Instead of providing this framewith wheels, as ordinarily, its lower rear side is provided with twosegmental racks N N, adapted to mesh with horizontal racks O O, securedto the top of. frame A, and said racks are so disposed relative to thetop of the platen when in lowest position that when the frame K isturned back its lower side will be level with and rest upon the latter,and may be locked thereto'by a spring-catch 'P, secured to one of thecross-bars of the frame adapted to co-operate withthe edge "of theplaten or a projection secured thereto.

The operation will now be readily understood. The operator rolls thetruck up to a lithographic stone or other article it is desired to move,turns the frame K down to the position shown in Fig. 1, and tips thestone over upon it. Then he turns the frame K back upon the segments,which prevent slipping and elevate it to the top of the platen, the endof the segments constituting stops for preventing the longitudinalmovement of the frame K, while the catch P looks it to the platen. Thetruck is now run to the press or other place where it is desired todeposit the stone, and if the level of the place of deposit is higherthan the top of frame-Work D, the

operator turns the handle E, raising the platen and frame K to thedesired level, as shown in Fig. 2, when the stone or other article maybe rolled off onto the press-platen or other place desired. Of coursestones or other objects may be removed from high elevations anddeposited on the floor, as desired, and the truck used for otherpurposes than described.

If desired, the segments attached to frame K could be cam-shaped withthe increased radius at the upper portion, so as to raise the frame to ahigherlevel in the first place. The rack-bars O, in connection with thesegments, prevent any slipping on the main frame.

Many modifications could be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and I do not desire to beconfined to precisely the arrangements shown.

3. In a truck, the combination, With the frame having one or more racksthereon and the platen and devices for elevating it, of the truck-bodyK, having the segment or segments for co-operating with the racks,adapted to be turned over upon the platen, substantially as described.

FRANK. A. STEOIIER.

Witnesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, S. E. TRUE.

